Bobbin tube feed apparatus

ABSTRACT

An improved bobbin tube feed apparatus is disclosed comprising a slope-walled hopper for containing tubes in an axially horizontal orientation and having at its bottom a slot of size sufficient to present a plurality of tubes exceeding three to a cradle therebeneath. The cradle has a convex nonslippery surface and is adapted for pivotable traverse across the hopper slot and therebeyond to a tube discharge position, and is formed with a receiving slot therethrough intermediate its ends for receiving one tube in horizontal position from the hopper. The received tube is retained within the cradle slot during traverse by a fixed member therebeneath which terminates at the discharge position and fixed guide members on each side of the cradle below the hopper slot and extending therebeyond to overextend the discharge position. Strips of nonslippery material are provided on the convex confronting face of the cradle to aid in the deposition of a tube in the cradle slot.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Carey A. Glazencr 3,531,016 9/1970 Pray 221/13 Pm Ck M f s C FOREIGN PATENTS menu, 0 [2]] APPL No 866,660 628,434 11/1961 Italy 221/202 [22] Filed Oct. 15, 1969 Primary ExaminerM. Henson Wood, Jr. [45] Patented Aug. 24, 1971 Assistant ExaminerEdwin D. Grant [73] Assignee Mmmon! Cmfion AUorney-Donald H. Feldman Chicago, Ill. Continuatiorhin-part of application Ser. No. Z32: 2, l 1969 ABSTRACT: An improved bobbin tube feed apparatus is disclosed comprising a slope-walled hopper for containing tubes in an axially horizontal orientation and having at its bottom a slot of size sufficient to present a plurality of tubes exceeding [54] BOBBIN TUBE FEED APPARATUS three to a cradle therebeneath. The cradle has a convex nonmg; Drawhgm slippery surface and is adapted for pivotable traverse across the hopper slot and therebeyond to a tube discharge position, [52] US. Cl. 221/264 and is formed with a receiving slot therethrough intermediate [5 I] B65]! 3/00 its ends for receiving one tube in horizontal position from the [50] Field Search 221/274, happen The received tube is retained within the cradle slot 13, 261263372373 during traverse by a fixed member therebeneath which terminates at the discharge position and fixed guide members on [56] References CM each side of the cradle below the hopper slot and extending UNITED STATES PATENTS therebeyond to overextend the discharge position. Strips of 1,243,344 10/1917 Rodal 221/264 X nonslippery material are provided on the convex confronting 1,482,830 2/ 1924 Woods et al. 221/264 X face of the cradle to aid in the deposition of a tube in the cra- 2,189,954 2/1940 Huesing 221/264 dle slot.

BOBBIIN TUBE ra n) APPARATUS CROSS-REFERENCE TORELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of copending and commonly assigned US. Pat. application Ser. No. 79 8,389,filed on Feb. 11, l969,entitled BOBBIN ORIENT- ING AND LOADING APPARATUS of Lester W. Pray, a coinventor herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus for feeding bobbin tubes, tapered or untapered, preferably to an orienting and loading apparatus, for orienting and conveying bobbin tubes in an on-end or upright orientation to supply such tubes to a textile apparatus for donning thereonto. This invention apparatus is an improved feed mechanism which may be a subassembly of the apparatus as disclosed in the aforementioned copending application, and is an improvement on the feed assembly shown therein.

In general, bobbin tubes from a feed bin disposed therein in an axially horizontal position are fed through a hopper means to a feed cradle adapted to receive but one tube and pivotably movable between a receiving position, at which a tube may be received from the hopper, to a discharge position, at which the tube may be discharged as to an orienting and loading apparatus for subsequent on-end orienting of the tube and its conveyance in such orientation to a textile machine for donning thereonto.

Problems arise, however, in feeding axially horizontal tubes from the hopper to the feed plate, and include occasional bridging of the receiving slot of the cradle by a plurality of tubes thereabove preventing gravity deposition of a tube therein, and thus nonfeed of tubes to the orienting and loading apparatus therebeneath. Thus it is an object of this invention to provide a tube feed apparatus which obviates tube bridging and nonfeed to an orienting and loading apparatus.

This and other desirable objects of the invention will become apparent from or are inherent in the following description and the drawings appended hereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is now discovered that the objects of this invention may be realized and the problems attendant to nonfeed of bobbin tubes to an orienting and loading apparatus are obviated by a feed apparatus wherein a plurality of bobbin tubes exceeding three are presented to an arcuate feed cradle bearing a convex, nonslippery surface and adapted for pivotable movement in a generally horizontal direction having therein a slot for receiving one bobbin tube in an axially horizontal orientation during the course of its travel or traverse from a tube receiving position to a tube discharging position.

Apparatus of the present construction comprises, generally, a feed hopper means having flanges directed downwardly in a sloping angle from the horizontal; and formed with a slot between such flanges of width sufficient to permit a plurality of bobbin tubes exceeding three to confront the convex face of the cradle in an axially horizontal side-by-side orientation and an arcuate feed cradle spaced below the hopper plate adapted for pivotable movement traversing the hopper slot and beyond to index over a receiving end such as of a bobbin tube orienting and loading apparatus, formed with a slot therethrough of size sufficient to receive a bobbin tube in axially horizontal orientation intermediate its ends and positioned such that in traverse of the feed cradle the slot traverses the slot in the hopper means and indexes in its delivery position whereat the tube is discharged by gravity therethrough. Spaced below the cradle is a fixed plate of similar arcuity extending laterally the area of the hopper slot to retain within the cradle slot a bobbin tube received from the hopper slot during the cradle s traverse thereunder. Spaced to each side of the cradle between the hopper and cradle is a fixed guide means for retaining the tube laterally within the cradle slot during traverse.

Thus according to the invention, bobbin tubes arranged in an axially horizontally position in a generally sloping hopper having a slot therethrough wide enoughto' receive a plurality of greater than three tubes widthwise,as the cradle is moved from beneath the hopper slot in arcuate'traverse thereby, fall, one at a time during a traverse cycle into the cradle slot, to be retained therein by the fixed retaining plate thereunder, and guide means to each side thereof and moved away from the hopper slot to a delivery position such as above an entry to a tube orientating and loading apparatus, thence to fall through the cradle slot into the orifice to be oriented and loaded onend and moved in that orientation to a textile machine or the like for donning thereon.

The cradle along its convex surface may be fitted with one or more strips of a material, such as say felt, rubber, plastic or the like which is not'slippery, in the direction of its path of traverse, to help provide the aforesaid nonslippery surface and thus to assure that bobbin tubes touching the nonslippery sur- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Constructional features of an apparatus of the present invention will more readily be understood through reading the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the present apparatus, partially in section and including general features of a tube orienting and loading apparatus of which it may be used as a subassembly.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the hopper means and cradle of the invention partially in section, wherein the cradle is at one end of the tube receiving position of its traverse.

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 but wherein the cradle is in the tube delivery position as above the receiving entry to a tube orienting and loading apparatus, with a portion of one of the hopper means flanges broken away to disclose more clearly underlying constructional features and elements.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, abobbin tube feed apparatus of the invention is generally designated by numeral 10, and includes a tube hopper means 12, which may have integral therewith upstanding hopper walls 13,13, which walls retain a bobbin tube bin or box containing bobbin tubes T in an axial, horizontally oriented side-by-side position therein, and which bin has been either up-ended onto means 12 and retained thereon by hopper walls 13,13 or has a removable bottom which has been opened to pennit tubes T to be supported by hopper means 12 in their axially horizontal side-by-side orientation, said bin having walls 11,11' and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 walls 11' and 11". Tubes T in contact with hopper 12 roll down sloped flanges 14, 16 thereof, and present a plurality greater than three to the convex nonslippery surface of a bobbin tube feed cradle 18 located beneath and somewhat spaced from the leading edges 15,17 of flanges 14,16, which therebetween define a hopper slot. Cradle 18, in FIGS. 1 and 3, is shown in its tube delivery position, with a slot formed therein defined by leading edges 21,23 thereof containing a bobbin tube at one end of its pivoted course of traverse beneath and across the hopper slot and being indexed at position A for discharge as above the receiving end of a tube orienting and loading apparatus 25,27 ,29. Tube B therein is in position to fall through cradle slot 21,23 into and through an orienting device and chute 25 into a bobbin tube cage 27 for subsequent pivoting to position L for loading in an on-end or axially vertical orientation onto conveyor 29. Cradle 18 is adapted for traverse from its broad slot loading position designated F under hopper slot 15,17 to its tube delivery position A by any suitable mechanism, and as shown in FIG. 1 by linkages 22,24,26 connected to a programmed mechanism for pivotable movement designated 28, which latter mechanism may also provide pivotable movement of tube cage 27 from a receiving position A to a delivery position L for transfer of tube B to conveyor 29.

With reference to both FIGS. 1 and 2, once tube B is delivered or discharged to chute 25 from cradle slot 21,23, cradle 18 is pivotably swung back to the right, once again bringing its slot 21,23 into index with hopper slot 15,17 along its slot loading position F during traverse thereacross. During such traverse, tubes T in contact with cradle 18 are rotated by its movement aided by their contact with contact strips 30,32,3l,33, encouraging one such tube to fall into cradle slot 21,23, to be retained therein by a retaining plate 20, and encouraging another tube T thereabove to move into hopper slot 15,17. Retaining plate 20, of similar arcuity to cradle 18 but spaced therebeneath along position F, is fixed to some nonmoving member such as orienting chute 25, and is also spaced from flange edge 17 at least one tube diameter but not more than one tube diameter plus the distance between flange edge 17 and cradle 18 so as to retain a tube within cradle slot 21,23, and to pennit such tube to pass beneath flange 16 to its discharge position. In instances when the tube is tapered, as shown, the tube diameter indicated is its largest or base end diameter.

In embodiments of the apparatus for feeding tapered tubes to an orienting and loading apparatus, referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a camming plate 19 having opposing camming lead edges 19 and 19" is provided at opposite sides of hopper flanges 14,16 and is fixed therebetween to extend from position A through position F and to provide a track to retain tube B in cradle slot 21,23 during its traverse. Further upon reaching discharge position A, tube B is cammed by camming edges 19' and 19" by contact therewith of its large diameter end into a position more suitable for orientation on-end upon dropping into orienting chute 25. In this instance, the small diameter end does not contact plate 19 but passes therebeneath permitting displacement axially to take place. In other embodiments, when a nontapered tube is fed, plate 19 acts as a guide track alone and has no flared camming edges 19', 19". Plate 19 may be bifurcate or may be in the form of two guide and camming rods or plates as hereinabove indicated.

It has been found, generally, that when the hopper slot is of such size that less than four tubes presented to the cradle, that tube bridging will occur from time to time during continuous feed operations resulting in nonfeed to the cradle slot and thus necessitating down time to clear the bridge of tubes before resumption. This is an intolerable circumstance, now corrected through the present apparatus.

It will also be appreciated that the present apparatus may be used by itself for one-by-one tube feeding for any of the many instances where such is desired in textile or other operations requiring such, and thus is not limited to use with a tube orienting and loading apparatus as described herein.

It will be further appreciated that the present construction provides far greater advantage than that disclosed in the aforesaid copending application in assuring tube feed to the feed cradle from the hopper, first in that the hopper no longer has dead spaces at its ends wherein tubes may lodge and form the base for tube bridging over the hopper slot but sloping flanged sides, second that the hopper slot is so widened that more tubes are presented to the cradle slot during its passage thereacross. With regard to the latter, in the instance where the hopper slot is wide enough to present four tubes to the eradle surface, in its traverse across the hopper slot from the tube delivery position the cradle slot has four times the opportunity to receive a tube as the feed apparatus of the copending application, and in the event that in such traverse no tube is fed to the cradle slot, an unlikely circumstance, in its traverse once again to the tube delivery position the cradle slot has an additional four opportunities to receive a bobbin tube from those confronting it in the hopper slot, or in all eight times the opportunity to receive a tube more than that of the apparatus of the aforesaid copending application. With a present apparatus having a hopper slot of such size as to present five tubes to the cradle surface, the opportunity for the cradle slot to admit a tube is increased to ten times that of the copending application feed apparatus. Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be appreciated that this was for the purpose of illustration only and was not intended to be limiting, the scope of this invention being defined by the following claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. A bobbin tube feed apparatus comprising:

hopper means for holding a plurality of bobbin tubes in axially horizontal position, having two sloped downwardly directing flanges at its bottom, and formed with a slot between said flanges of size sufficient to admit a plurality exceeding three of said tubes side by side;

' tube feed cradle means, adapted for pivotable traverse across said hopper slot and therebeyond from a tube receiving position to a tube discharge position, and formed with a slot of size sufficient to receive one bobbin tube in axially horizontal position located intermediate the ends of said cradle means, slot saidcradle means being of arcuate configuration lying beneath said hopper means, spaced therefrom, and bearing thereon a convex, nonslippery surface for confronting said bobbin tubes in said hopper slot in the direction of said traverse; and

tube-retaining means for retaining said one bobbin tube within said cradle during said traverse thereof.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said arcuate cradle means includes a strip of nonslippery material along its surface confronting said bobbin tubes in said hopper slot and in the direction of traverse movement.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said tube-retaining means comprises a retaining plate of similar convexity to said surface of said cradle means, and lying therebeneath in fixed relation to said hopper means at least one diameter of said tube and at most one diameter of said tube plus the distance of spacing of said cradle means surface from said hopper means slot, and

guide means located at opposite ends of said cradle means for guiding said bobbin tube during traverse and extending between and adjacent said tube receiving and tube discharge positions.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said tube-retaining means includes a plurality of camming edges adapted to cam a tapered bobbin tube within said cradle slot axially as it approaches said tube discharge position in the course of traverse thereto.

5. In a bobbin tube orienting and loading apparatus which comprises a tube feed subassembly, a tube orienting assembly and a tube loading assembly, an improved tube feed subassemlily comprising:

hopper means for holding a plurality of bobbin tubes in axially horizontal position, having two sloped downwardly directing flanges at its bottom, and formed with a slot between said flanges of size sufficient to admit a plurality exceeding three of said tubes side by side;

tube feed cradle means, adapted for pivotable traverse across said hopper slot and therebeyond from a tube receiving position to a tube discharge position, and

formed with a slot of size sufficient to receive one bobbin tube in axially horizontal position located intermediate the ends ofsaid cradle means,

said cradle means being of arcuate configuration, lying beneath said hopper means, spaced therefrom and bearing thereon a convex, nonslippery surface for conmeans, and lying therebeneath in fixed relation to said hopper means at least one diameter of said tube and at most one diameter of said tube plus the distance of spacing of said cradle means surface from said hopper means slot, and guide means for guiding said tube during traverse located at opposite ends of said cradle means and extending between and adjacent said tube receiving and said tube discharge positions; and

wherein said tube-retaining means includes a plurality of cam'ming edges adapted to cam a tapered bobbin tube within said cradle slot axially as it approaches said tube discharge position in the course of traverse thereto.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 601 283 Dated August 24 1971 Inventol-(s) Carey A. Glazener and Lester W. Pray It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet "Attorney-Donald H. Feldman" should read Agent-Donald H. Feldman Col l line 10, following "herein" the following insert should be made now U. S. patent 3,531,016

Col 2, line "horizontally" should read horizontal-; line 12, "orientating" should read orienting Col. 3, line 39, "and" should read or line 50, insert are following "than four tubes";

Col. line 28, delete "slot".

Signed and sealed this 29th day of February 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD PLFLETCHER, JR. ERT OTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents ORM USCOMM-DC ooa1a-peo 9 \LS, GOVERNHENY FRIN'HNG OFFICE 959 0J55'33 

1. A bobbin tube feed apparatus comprising: hopper means for holding a plurality of bobbin tubes in axially horizontal position, having two sloped downwardly directing flanges at its bottom, and formed with a slot between said flanges of size sufficient to admit a plurality exceeding three of said tubes side by side; tube feed cradle means, adapted for pivotable traverse across said hopper slot and therebeyond from a tube receiving position to a tube discharge position, and formed with a slot of size sufficient to receive one bobbin tube in axially horizontal position located intermediate the ends of said cradle means, slot said cradle means being of arcuate configuration lying beneath said hopper means, spaced therefrom, and bearing thereon a convex, nonslippery surface for confronting said bobbin tubes in said hopper slot in the direction of said traverse; and tube-retaining means for retaining said one bobbin tube within said cradle during said traverse thereof.
 2. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said arcuate cradle means includes a strip of nonslippery material along its surface confronting said bobbin tubes in said hopper slot and in the direction of traverse movement.
 3. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said tube-retaining means comprises a retaining plate of similar convexity to said surface of said crAdle means, and lying therebeneath in fixed relation to said hopper means at least one diameter of said tube and at most one diameter of said tube plus the distance of spacing of said cradle means surface from said hopper means slot, and guide means located at opposite ends of said cradle means for guiding said bobbin tube during traverse and extending between and adjacent said tube receiving and tube discharge positions.
 4. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said tube-retaining means includes a plurality of camming edges adapted to cam a tapered bobbin tube within said cradle slot axially as it approaches said tube discharge position in the course of traverse thereto.
 5. In a bobbin tube orienting and loading apparatus which comprises a tube feed subassembly, a tube orienting assembly and a tube loading assembly, an improved tube feed subassembly comprising: hopper means for holding a plurality of bobbin tubes in axially horizontal position, having two sloped downwardly directing flanges at its bottom, and formed with a slot between said flanges of size sufficient to admit a plurality exceeding three of said tubes side by side; tube feed cradle means, adapted for pivotable traverse across said hopper slot and therebeyond from a tube receiving position to a tube discharge position, and formed with a slot of size sufficient to receive one bobbin tube in axially horizontal position located intermediate the ends of said cradle means, said cradle means being of arcuate configuration, lying beneath said hopper means, spaced therefrom and bearing thereon a convex, nonslippery surface for confronting said bobbin tubes in said hopper slot in the direction of said traverse; and tube-retaining means for retaining said one bobbin tube within said cradle slot during said traverse thereof.
 6. A tube feed subassembly as in claim 5, wherein said arcuate cradle means includes a strip of nonslippery material along its convex surface confronting said bobbin tubes in said hopper slot and in the direction of traverse; wherein said tube-retaining means comprises a retaining plate of similar convexity to said surface of said cradle means, and lying therebeneath in fixed relation to said hopper means at least one diameter of said tube and at most one diameter of said tube plus the distance of spacing of said cradle means surface from said hopper means slot, and guide means for guiding said tube during traverse located at opposite ends of said cradle means and extending between and adjacent said tube receiving and said tube discharge positions; and wherein said tube-retaining means includes a plurality of camming edges adapted to cam a tapered bobbin tube within said cradle slot axially as it approaches said tube discharge position in the course of traverse thereto. 